Where are we?

The Pilgrims is halfway between London and Cornwall, in a peaceful backwater a country mile from the old Roman Fosse Way (A37), between the pretty little country town of Castle Cary and the ancient settlement of Somerton and a paltry 7 miles from Bruton. Frome, Shepton Mallet and Wells lie to the north, Street and Glastonbury to the west, Yeovil south west, Sherborne south, and Wincanton to the east, all a quarter of an hour away, give or take.

Bath is 40 minutes and Bristol just shy of an hour to the north, Shaftesbury 25 and Salisbury 45 minutes east, Dorchester similar to the south and Taunton about 35 minutes west. Bristol Airport is on our side of the city and only about 40 minutes away.

The Dorset coast, known as the Jurassic coast, around Lyme bay is a pretty 45 minute drive and the Somerset coast, the bottom end of the Bristol Channel around Breen and Berrow is about the same to the vaguely north west.

London times depend on time of year, time of day and day of the week but a couple of hours should get you here from the Hammersmith area, for instance.

The Area

The small but perfectly formed town of Castle Cary and its mainline station are three and a half miles away. A selection of interesting small independent shops, the museum housed in the old market building and the old roundhouse lockup make it a pleasant place to while away an hour or two. Paddington is 1 hour 50 minutes. http://www.castle-cary.co.uk/

The ancient town of Somerton, reputedly the 7th century capital of Wessex, is about six miles in the opposite direction. It boasts some nice independent shops, an arts festival in July, an unusual old market place and other attractions to be found at www.somerton.co.uk

Carymoor Environmental Centre (2 miles) at www.carymoor.org.uk is fascinating if you’re into that sort of thing.

Shepton Mallet (6 miles) is the home of the Mulberry group (factory shop), and the designer emporium Kilver Court http://www.kilvercourt.com/. Babycham started life there and is still going strong. More is available at www.sheptonmallet.org

Wells, the smallest city in England, is ten or twelve miles away. The magnificent cathedral, the Bishop’s palace with the swans in the moat, and the Vicar’s Close which is said to be the oldest planned street in Europe all make Wells a major jewelling Somerset’s crown. More at www.wells-uk.com including details of frequent concerts in the Cathedral.

Street, six miles or so to the west, is dominated by Clark’s Village, the first factory outlet ‘village’ in the country and a major attraction in the area. List of shops etc available at www.clarksvillage.co.uk The other dominant force in the town is Millfield School. www.millfield.somerset.sch.uk

Somewhere on the road to Glastonbury you pass through a portal in the space/time continuum. The famous abbey, the tor and more veggie cafes full of crystal gazing hippies than you can shake a stick at lie on the other side. Great place but a bit strange. www.glastonbury.co.uk

Yeovil, the nearest town with smaller branches of all the big shop chains, is 15 to 20 minutes away. www.yeoviltown.com

Sherborne is home to Sherborne School, two castles, a superb abbey, old almshouses and medieval buildings. Interesting shops and a decent restaurant make it well worth a very pleasant day of your valuable time. www.sherbornetown.co.uk

Bath is one of our favourite cities anywhere, and it’s only 24 miles or 40 minutes away.

Exeteris a city we’ve never rated much to be frank, but a recent visit changed our minds. Contained within the old city walls, and therefore compact enough to be manageable, the various ‘quarters’ now have some serious shopping opportunities and lots of cafes, bars and restaurants. The cathedral is impressive but we didn’t check out the castle quarter so the castle is a mystery. A dead easy 50 minutes or so to the west.

Bristol, 50 minutes to the north, Shaftesbury 25 and Salisbury 45 minutes east, Dorchester similar to the south and Taunton about 35 minutes west.

The Dorsetcoast, known as the Jurassic coast, around Lyme bay is a pretty 45 minute drive and the Somerset coast, the bottom end of the Bristol Channel around Breen and Berrow is about the same to the vaguely north west.

A selection of leaflets is available.

We are open...Evenings Tuesday to Saturday 7 to 11...

Lunchtimes Friday & Saturday 12 to 3...last food orders at 2 and 9

Call Sally or Jools on 0800 999 5 666 or 01963 240597

or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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